Seahawks DL Leonard Williams Playing 'Fast and Free' in New Scheme

Leonard Williams has been on another level the last two games. What is his secret to being the Seattle Seahawks' top defender currently?

Dec 1, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Seattle Seahawks cornerback Coby Bryant (8) throws the ball as Seattle Seahawks defensive end Leonard Williams (99) pursues during the first quarter at MetLife Stadium. / Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Leonard Williams is on fire. If the NFL season just hovered around the two weekends book-ending Thanksgiving, the Seahawks' defensive tackle would be the consensus Defensive Player of the Year in the league.

Over the last two games, Williams has 4.5 sacks and six tackles for loss to his name. And that's only scratching the surface of the impact he has made. On Sunday in New York, he had one of the best single games by a defensive lineman in Seahawks franchise history.

Not only did he make life miserable for Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, but he also blocked a kick. Not to mention having the longest interception return for a touchdown by someone at least 300 pounds. He is one of the most athletic 300-pound players in the league. What is the the secret to his recent surge? Williams says it's the freedom he enjoys in Mike Macdonald's system.

"I feel like a lot of it is just freedom that I'm playing with ... and then Mike [Macdonald] and [Aden Durde] just have a lot of trust in me to call the games up front sometimes and have one-on-one rushes, and situations where we kind of force someone one on one on us," Williams said postgame on Sunday, "and I think overall just from experience and being a vet, I kind of took the pressure of making plays off me, and once I took the pressure off it just allowed me to play fast and play free."

After the Seahawks traded for Williams in October of last season, he made an immediate impact. However, he didn't quite look like the player he is right now: A dark horse Defensive Player of the Year candidate. At the very least, he should win Seattle's second consecutive NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Over the last two weeks, Williams owns the second-highest Pro Football Focus grade among all defenders (Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Nick Herbig). That includes eight total pressures, and he isn't just a one-trick pony. In fact, he's the entire doggone show. None of his grades for run defense, pass-rushing, tackling, or even pass coverage are below 72.7 over the last two weeks.

In today's @Seahawks victory, @leonardwilliams became the 1st player since 1982 with multiple sacks, an interception-return TD & a blocked kick in a game. pic.twitter.com/i00ETb2P0x

— NFL345 (@NFL345) December 1, 2024

Mike Macdonald's scheme seems to have unlocked another level for a top-tier player who somehow only has one Pro Bowl selection on his resume. Not only should he get another one this season, he's approaching All-Pro status. This is why Seattle brought in Mike Macdonald: To utilize his defensive mind and accentuate the elite talent the Seahawks have on the roster.

Macdonald has Williams in different spots. This is the most the USC product has lined up outside the tackles in three years. He is lining up more at the three and five-technique than he did last season, and he has already set a new career high for snaps where he has dropped into pass coverage (that certainly paid off on Sunday).

There isn't a single defender around the league hotter than the Big Cat right now, and Macdonald deserves a lot of credit for putting Williams in spots where he can thrive.

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